Combination of an air-chamber



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NEWTON D.- ROBINS, OF EDINBURGH, INDIANA.

.COMBINATION OF AN AIR-CHAMBER, WATER-COOLER, AND FORCE-PUMP IN SODA- FOUNTAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,489, dated March 6, 1855.

To all whom t may conc-em Be it known that I, NEWTON D. RoBINs,

`of Edinburgh, inthe county of Johnson and State of Indiana, have invented va new and useful Portable Refrigerant Soda-Fountain; and I do hereby declare that the f ollowing is a full, clear, and exact descrlptlon thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section through the center of the fountain in the line of the faucet, and Fig. 2 is avert-ical section of the force pump in a line at right angles with the above.

A, A, in Fig. 1 is a cooler having double walls with the intermediate space lled with charcoal.

A', A', is the space between the inner wall and air chamber C, C, the latter is constructed of any metal and fixed to the bottom of the cooler by means of a female screw cut into the perforated nut s,s,which is soldered t0 the bottom of said air chamber at L, L, and is adapted air tight to the male screw of pipe E, entering at this point I-I, through the bottom of the cooler into the air chamber.

Another pipe F, is fixed firmly at any other point of the bottom of the -cooler leading into the space A', A. About one-tenth of an inch above the bottom of the said air chamber at nut s, s, ascends a pipe R, which at the bottom is wider than the nut s, s, to admit the ascent of the fluid' into the air chamber and is narrowed toward the top v where it is soldered t-o the air chamber at N,

' Vin which point a coupling screw attaches it v to pipe R', furnishing into faucet R.

I,- I, is the counter or a portable board perforated in two places for the admission `of pipes E, and F. B, B, B, is the cylinder of a force pump inclosed in the box D.

.1), isthe space between cylinder B, and said box D, filled out with plaster of Iaris.

m, m, is another box surrounding box D, to collect the drippings, and to lead them off by the opening y. "w, is the piston of the cylinder, and T, the handle of the piston-the arms of which handle move wit-h their extremities in the slides fw,'w, extending from box m, fm., and fastened under the counter or board I, I, to prevent the piston u, from bein bent.

ipes w, and o,- are fixed to the cylinder and connected by coupling screws to the pipes F, and E, and provided at the coupling points with valves. A valve may also be provided for the pipe E, at H.

Mode of operation, I fill space A, A, with ice, water and carbonate of soda about in the proportion of one ounce to the gallon of water, ice included. I then force the desired quantity thereof into the air chamber from which it may be served by the faucet la, into tumblers wherein the syrup is previously charged with the necessary quantity of acid for eervescence.

I do not claim originality for any single part of the above device, when isolated from the rest, as I am aware that they are all old. But as all known forms of soda founts are liable to the following objections: lst, they are expensive and require great skill to charge and manage them; 2nd, they are unwieldy, and from their extended parts occupy too much space; 3rd, from the last consideration, and their fixed nature, they are not portable, cannot be moved conveniently from room to room nor transported, for the convenience of public audiences, and 4th, in their use the ice is not economized nor is the beverage so palatable, because the chemicals are separated from the ice, by pipes, cylinders, &c., in which they stand in the interims. And inasmuch as combining an air chamber within a water cooler, and connected with a force pump substantially as above, produces the following results (and is new) 1st, a cheap soda fo-unt in the reach of the masses and that can be charged and managed by any person. 2nd, a light concentrated fount that occupies but little space in contrast wit-h others. 3rd, from the last consideration it is one that is preminently portable by even a boy-may be moved from cellar to parlor, from parlor to garret or may itinerate, to suit the convenience of public assemblies. 4th, the ice being surrounded by a nonconductor of caloric, is protected from the high temperature of the atmosphere, so that but little is required and it in its turn envelopes the air chamber thro-ugh which all the ingredients must pass to conduct the iiuid from the ice chamber to the faucet. Thus, yin tWo particulars, both as to'quantity -of ice, and pi e, economizing.

The unparalleled simplicity of arrangement, the concentration of parts, in this apparatus, and it-s cheapening qualities, Will enable thousands to partake of a luxury of Which they have hitherto been deprived. Therefore What I claim is not the Water cooler, the air chamber, the force pump, the connecting pipes, nor the making of soda Water With chemicals under atmospheric pressure, but

ber C, C, placed Within A', A', and force pump B, B, and made to operate substantially as herein before specied.

NEWTON D. ROBINS.

Witnesses:

C. K. SHERMAN, F. A. FRYE. 

